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Luke Devlin
Luke Devlin (born on November 15, 1978) is an English professional wrestler, most famous for his tenure and synonymity with California Pro Wrestling. He has wrestled in several minor promotions in the United Kingdom and wider Europe, as well as in Japan. Devlin debuted in the United States in the now-defunct promotion Maritime Wrestling Alliance while also performing in the short-lived Surreal Combat Wrestling promotion, and following SCW's closure, Devlin rose to prominence in the US in MWA and helped to found the sister-promotion, California Pro Wrestling (CPW). In 2007, Devlin also joined Vegas Championship Wrestling (VCW), and competed there before, during and after the closure of CPW until his retirement from the company on May 10, 2008. Devlin's personality was that of a softly spoken, somewhat intellectual and enigmatic character, who gained particular fame in MWA, CPW and VCW for his "disappearing acts" and other mysterious prankster-type stunts. Portrayed as a degenerate with a somewhat fragrant disregard to rules or society in general, Devlin got over both as a popular face and a hated heel. His promos were often eloquent and mysterious, and added to the character during the course of his career. Professional Wrestling Career Early career Devlin's early career is somewhat lacking in documentation. A black belt in Shotokan Karate, he took an interest to professional wrestling, and moved through several minor promotions in England, applying his knowledge of martial arts to his wrestling style. After a brief period on Japan, Devlin set his sights on the United States independent wrestling circuit, where we got the opportunity to meet and train with "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles. This relationship was developed into a feud in Phoenix All Star Wrestling (PASW), where Devlin turned on his mentor and eventually brutalised him in a last man standing match, henceforth establishing the heel element to his character. Devlin began to establish himself as a gifted hybrid wrestler, applying elements of martial arts, aerial and submission moves to his repertoire. It is documented that many of Devlin's moves or ring mannerisms are based upon his wrestling role models of AJ Styles, The Undertaker and Low Ki. Surreal Championship Wrestling (2005-2006) Under the moniker "The Risen Dragon" (a prefix to his name debuted in the Maritime Wrestling Alliance), Luke Devlin took part in the short-lived promotion Surreal Combat Wrestling, a minor promotion which benefited from a talent exchange with World Wrestling Entertainment. During his time there he became the inaugural SCW Juniorweight Champion by defeating Chris Jericho in the finals of a tournament on the December 13th, 2005 edition of Breakdown (SCW's flagship show). A highlight of Devlin's time in SCW was his intense feud over the Juniorweight title with Dazza, who gave himself the moniker of "The King". The feud began on the debut (December 10, 2005) edition of Mayhem, where the two faced off in the semi-finals of the Juniorweight championship tournament. Prior to the match the two confronted each other face-to-face in an in-ring promo, which culminated in Dazza attacking Devlin, only to be evaded and taken out by Devlin's finisher The Dragon's Wingbeat (Pedigree) and causing Dazza to bleed as a result. Dazza demanded retribution, and was made to face Kane in a Last Man Standing match, with the stipulation being that, if he won, he would be awarded a shot at Devlin. Dazza won the bout, and once Devlin had gained the SCW Juniorweight Championship, the two faced off in a First Blood Match. Devlin was victorious, once again busting Dazza open with the Dragon's Wingbeat. Dazza would gain redemption, however, by defeating Devlin and claiming the SCW Juniorweight Championship in a brutal Hell in a Cell match with his Dragonbomb finisher. Following this, the two engaged in a Best of Five Series. Following two singles matches, a Submission-Only match and a 30 Minute Iron-Man match, both men had scored two victories each, and the series culminated in a Ladder Match, which saw Dazza walk away as the victor, retaining his SCW Juniorweight Championship. On January 16, 2006, Luke Devlin was scheduled to face the SCW Tag Team Champions Tajiri & Xander Chase in a title match with a mystery partner. Prior to the match, "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles made his way down to the ring, henceforth he was Devlin's mystery partner. The two defeated Tajiri and Chase, and gained the SCW Tag Team Championships. This was Devlin's last match storyline arch before the closure of Surreal Combat Wrestling. Maritime Wrestling Alliance (2005-2006) Debut & The Rising "The Risen Dragon" Luke Devlin debuted in the Maritime Wrestling Alliance on the November 15th, 2005 (also his 27th birthday) edition of Delerium, where he was first seen on camera in the backstage area, propositioning Jericho Black to join him in making his mark by attacking the NMHC Juniorweight Champion, "Ganja Man" Matt Pierce. This would be a promo that would shape the rest of Devlin's career; when Black asks "Wait a second, who exactly are you?", Devlin famously replies, "Me? I'm "The Risen Dragon". I'm Luke Devlin" before walking off. That same night, Devlin debuted in ring, winning a ladder match against EFF Dash in order to win the opportunity to team with Jericho Black later on in the night (prior to the ladder match, Dash mentions backstage how he has a phobia of heights). Once again, this was a significant moment for Devlin, as it was the beginning of Devlin's infamous relationship with ladders, as well as marking the beginning of an ongoing feud between himself and EFF Dash. Three nights later on Afterburn Devlin and Black, calling themselves "The Rising", demanded a #1 contender's match for the NMHC Tag Team titles against Team MWA (Harry Fate and Ted Tsavales). The Rising were unsuccessful, losing to Team MWA when Harry Fate pinned Jericho Black following a Jacknife Powerbomb. The following Delerium, NMHC Juniorweight Champion "Beautiful" Brooke Sage called out Devlin, questioning his choice to team with Black. She called for Devlin to "loose the dead weight" of Black and then challenged Devlin to a match. Devlin responded by coming down to the ring, insulting Sage before Black assaulted her from behind with a ladder. This solidified Devlin and Black as heels. After a Vertigo and Brooke booked The Rising in a series of matches as a punishment, Devlin would gain revenge on Brooke Sage by kidnapping her on the same night, and holding her ransom in exchange for a ladder match for the NMHC Juniorweight Championship. The following Afterburn (25 November 2005), Vertigo booked the requested ladder title match- Luke Devlin versus NMHC Juniorweight Champion "The Ganja Man" Matt Pierce- and Brooke was set free. Devlin defeated Pierce later on in the night to win his first NMHC Juniorweight Championship (this reign would not last long however, as he was defeated for the title by Ryan Kilst in a Submission match on the December 2nd, 2005 edition of Afterburn). On the following episode of Delerium, EFF Dash challenged Jericho Black backstage to think about his place as Devlin's partner, calling him "Devlin's little bitch". Jericho Black made his way to the ring, expressed his distaste of Devlin's lack of morals and at being involved in the kidnapping of an innocent woman, and stated that The Rising was finished. Dash then came out to applaud Black. Things turned worse still for Devlin, as he was defeated by Vertigo in a cage match on the same night. Devlin vented his frustrations on EFF Dash, attacking him backstage with his ladder and dosing him with chloroform, rendering Dash unconscious. Devlin then took things even further, exploiting Dash's fear of heights by dragging his prone body into a crane carriage and suspending it seventy feet in the air before leaving him there, helpless. This, along with Brooke's kidnapping and his other questionable antics, succeeded in solidifying Luke Devlin as a major heel in the MWA. Face Turn A month into his time in MWA, the crowd reaction Devlin received turned positive quite quickly, garnering cheers despite his heel antics. Devlin embraced this positivity, adopting a somewhat more tweener attitude after the good-natured EFF Dash convinced him that the fans wanted to see him put on good matches instead on persisting with his notorious actions. This was highlighted when Devlin won the MWA Television Championship from EFF Dash on December 9, 2005 in a ladder match, and upon receiving a standing ovation, addressed the audience in a face promo. Unfortunately, Devlin would only hold the title for four days, forced to drop the belt to Raven on Delerium due to suffering a torn pectoral muscle in the ladder match beforehand. Devlin was not sidelined immediately, but instead continued to work in order to finish off the story arch at a suitable point. This did, however, delay Devlin's planned face turn until his return in the new year. Devlin found himself struggling to repent of his actions- and trying to forgive himself at the same time, coming across problems with Brooke Sage and Fromunda (whom Sage had manipulated to take Devlin out) up until the final show of the year, the December 24th, 2005 edition of Afterburn. On that night, Devlin lost a Triple Threat Match that awarded the winner with a NMHC Juniorweight Championship shot, and announced his brief hiatus from the MWA. Devlin returned to on-screen action as a face on December 13, 2006, defeating Brooke Sage in a Ladder Match for the NMHC Juniorweight Championship for the second time (this came four days after Devlin apparently rescued Fromunda from Brooke Sage in a 'lights on/lights off' segment in the middle of the ring). However, Devlin would lose the belt again to Sage in a return ladder match a week later. Devlin would then win his third NMHC Juniorweight Championship in 15-Minute Iron Man Match to settle the score between himself and the champion, Brooke Sage, making Devlin the first and only three time NMHC Juniorweight Champion in MWA history. Prior to winning the Juniorweight Title, Fromunda demanded a Cage Match with Devlin, and defeated him. Following the match, Devlin questioned Fromunda as to why he was so adamant on getting one over on him; Fromunda replied that it was because he wanted Devlin to be his "friend". The Revolution Rising Devlin and Fromunda became a tandem after The Sickness attempted to bully Fromunda; in return, Vertigo joined The Sickness in an effort to ultimately to destroy Devlin. Chris Revolution had also been struggling with Vertigo, as Vertigo evaded all of Revolution's advances to challenge for his NMHC Heavyweight Championship. Luke Devlin, Fromunda and Revolution thereonin formed a stable called "The Revolution Rising", a group ultimately concerned with overthrowing Vertigo and his corrupt regime. The Vertigo/Revolution Rising feud would endure for the next couple of months. The feud mainly consisted of Chris Revolution's pursuit through a series of opponents handpicked by Vertigo in order to earn a shot at the NMHC Heavyweight Championship, while Devlin's main focus was the infiltration of Vertigo's plans and focusing on psychological warfare. As well as setting his office on fire and having his teammate Matt Pierce sent away to a drug rehabilitation clinic, Devlin scored a major psychological victory of Vertigo after discovering he and Vice President of Talent, Traci Brookes, engaged in a passionate encounter in a broom closet, and using the surveillance tape as blackmail. Despite Vertigo's best attempts to destroy the tape, Devlin revealed to him that he had a multitude of copies at his disposal, and demanded that Vertigo name him the Vice President in charge of the Delerium show. On the Valentine's Day edition of Delerium, Vertigo accepted- but Devlin did not uphold his end of the bargain, and played the surveillance footage for all to see, jeopardising Vertigo's marriage with Brooke. Devlin used his position as VP of Delerium to book matches to the Revolution Rising's advantage. on March 7 edition of Delerium, Vertigo had managed to win back Brooke Sage's favour, and the two were united again. However, they were interrupted by Chris Revolution, who demanded his NMHC Heavyweight Championship match against Vertigo, since he had now defeated everyone put in front of him. Vertigo refused, and Revolution was instead booked to face Johnny Knockout that night. However, on the following Afterburn (March 10, 2006), "The LIFTOR" John Curry made the NMHC Heavyweight Championship matchup between the champion, Vertgo, and Chris Revolution, with himself as the special guess referee. Despite Vertigo's shenigans during the match, Chris Revolution won the NMHC Heavyweight Championship, ending the war between Vertigo and the Revolution Rising. On the following Delerium, The Revolution Rising made their way down to the ring for what would be their last time altogether. Chris Revolution, the new NMHC Heavyweight Champion, cut a promo, which included challenging Luke Devlin to a Heavyweight Title match on the 24th March edition of Afterburn- this was particularly surprising, due to the fact that Juniorweights could not, as a rule, compete for the Heavyweight title. Devlin accepted the challenge, and the two battled for the title on March 24. As well as being the only the second Juniorweight in MWA history to challenge for the NMHC Heavyweight Championship (the first being Sephiru)Devlin faced the prospect of becoming only the second wrestler in MWA history to hold both the NMHC championships (as Sephiru became the first). Devlin would however lose the bout. On April 8, 2006 at the Rapture pay-per-view (the first night of the Duality PPV weekend), Devlin defended the NMHC Juniorweight Championship in a Ladder Match against a returning "Ganja Man" Matt Pierce, who was determined to get revenge on Devlin after he send him to rehab a month before. Devlin would lose the bout, ending the longest NMHC Juniorweight Championship reign in MWA history. This would be Devlin's final match in the MWA, as all MWA shows were put on hiatus throughout April, and did not make a return due to financial and creative difficulties. The MWA officially shut down on June 27, 2006. California Pro Wrestling (2006-2007) While part of the Maritime Wrestling Alliance, Devlin played a pivotal role of the inception of California Pro Wrestling, a Calfifornia-based wrestling promotion owned by Californian entrepreneur Robert Riley, and was affiliated with the MWA as it's training league. The company was founded in January, and Devlin took part in the first round of a tournament to crown the first CPW Juniorweight Champion at CPW's Sanitarium show debut on February 26, 2006. The tournament ran for three shows, with Devlin losing in the finals to "The Golden Boy" Steve Golden. This was a fundamental move in establishing Steve Golden as one of CPW's biggest names, as well as the top juniorweight in the company at the time. Upon fulfilling his part in the Juniorweight tournament, Devlin would not be seen again in CPW until May due to his commitments to MWA shows leading up to its closure. King of the Juniors & Feud with Dazza Now solely contracted to California Pro Wrestling, Devlin competed in the King of the Juniors tournament, where the winner would be crowned "King of the Juniors", as well as gaining a CPW Juniorweight Championship shot. While partaking in the tournament, Devlin also took place in a Triple Threat match along with Steve Golden and his long time SCW rival and friend, Dazza "The King. The match finished with Dazza hitting his King's Hammer powerbomb finisher on Golden, only to have Devlin sneak in and take the pinfall for himself. Devlin defeated Teddy Green and Jack "The Ripper" Masterson in the King of the Juniors tournament order to earn a place in the finals, with his opponent being former MWA rookie, "Sick A-C-M" Andrew Moore. Devlin was on commentary during Moore's semi-final match, after which Moore attacked Devlin, establishing himself as the heel in the beginning of the feud. Moore challenged Devlin to face him in the finals of the tournament in a match of his choosing- and as a hardcore specialist, Moore devised the first Sanitarium Death Match (which later became simply the CPW Death Match); a barbed-wire cage match filled with various weapons. The finals took place on the 18th May, 2006, and after a memorable matchup between the two finalists, the match ended when Dazza "The King" broke into the cage using bolt cutters and brutalized Devlin, allowing Andrew Moore to finish him off and claim the victory. The following week, Dazza would gloat about his assault on Devlin. However, Moore was not pleased that he won the King of the Juniors tournament as a result of Dazza's interference, and demanded a match with him. The two battled, but during the match the lights went out, and Devlin would make an appearance- with heavily bandaged ribs- to attack Dazza. The lights went out again, and when they returned, Devlin had vanished. Moore took his chance and hit his A to Hell double stomp on Dazza in order to gain the pinfall victory. This led to Dazza going on a hunt for Devlin on the following Sanitarium, only to be taken out by the man himself in the bathroom in another hit-and-run, lights-off attack. Due to the extent of Devlin's antics, CPW Owner Robert Riley indefinitely suspended Devlin until further notice. During Devlin's three week absence, the former owner of the MWA, Juan Hefe, came to CPW, along with former MWA wrestler "Filthy" Rich Burton and the rookie, El Puma Grande. Devlin returned to save Dazza from a beatdown from the three after The King defeated El Puma Grande in a match. CPW vs. The JHTA Over the following months, Juan Hefe recruited a selection of former MWA wrestlers, as well as several heel CPW wrestlers, to his Juan Hefe Talent Agency (JHTA), a stable/breakaway organisation similar to that of WCW's nWo; JHTA members included El Puma Grande, Rich Burton, The Sickness, Esix Cordero, Ted Tsavales and Kurt Engelhorn. In retaliation, several CPW members united under Robert Riley (usually referred to as "Team CPW"), and the two factions engaged in CPW's most famous feud. Devlin would find himself part of Team CPW, along with CPW Heavyweight Champion Dazza "The King", Giant Rousimoff, CPW Juniorweight Champion Andrew Moore and Xander Chase. During this time, Devlin held the CPW Tag Team Championships with Xander Chase, after Chase's original partner Senel Darklight left CPW and named Devlin his replacement (August 27, 2006). Although Team CPW worked well as a united front throughout the feud, executing many memorable (and sometimes comedic) assaults on the JHTA, there were also times of in-fighting, predominantly between Devlin, Dazza and Chase, with each individual's loyalty to the team being questioned. A key moment in the feud came when the JHTA kidnapped Robert Riley, holding him ransom for the NMHC Heavyweight Championship he had acquired via the absorption of all of MWA's assets. Devlin and Chase displayed unity when they broke into the JHTA stronghold and rescued Riley. Devlin and Chase would lose their CPW Tag Team Championships to Mass Destruction on October 8, 2006, after the JHTA retaliated by having The Sickness interfere in the match and cost them the belts. After a brief show hiatus, Team CPW's Xander Chase, CPW Juniorweight Champion Andrew Moore, CPW Heavyweight Champion Dazza "The King" and Giant Rousimoff faced the JHTA's NMHC Heavyweight Champion Kurt Engelhorn, Barry Knight and The Sickness (Jay Synndrome & "Narcotic" Nick Savage- formerly Narkotik Nick) on November 5, 2006. The match came down to a one-on-one showdown between Dazza and Engelhorn, pitting CPW's Heavyweight Champion against the JHTA's Heavyweight Champion; the match ended in a shocking fashion when Luke Devlin made his way down to the ring to seemingly gain the advantage for Team CPW- only to knock out Dazza with a chair shot. This allowed Engelhorn to pin Dazza and win the JHTA the victory- the following week, Devlin announced himself as the newest member of the Juan Hefe Talent Agency. While allied to the JHTA, Devlin acquired a #1 Contender's spot to the CPW Juniorweight Championship when he beat Vertigo for the shot on the 3rd December, 2006. At Advent of Anarchy, CPW's second pay-per-view on 17 December 2006, Devlin challenged Andrew Moore of Team CPW for his Juniorweight Championship (this was also to be Moore's last match with VCW, as he was retiring after the pay-per-view). The match ended when none other than Vertigo interfered and assaulted Moore, allowing Devlin to pick up the win. The following Sanitarium, Vertigo and Devlin made it clear that they were not affiliated to either the JHTA or to Riley's loyal guard- they had formed their own unlikely alliance, in attempt to "rid CPW of the weak... the cancer that is killing CPW." With the CPW vs. JHTA saga coming to an end, Robert Riley aimed to unify the SWF, NMHC and CPW Juniorweight Championships into one, and held a Triple Threat Ladder Match at the One-Year Anniversary pay-per-view, Rebound, with the winner claiming the unified CPW Triple Crown Juniorweight Championship. In the match, the raining CPW Juniorweight Champion faced a returning Andrew Moore and El Hijo Del Perra. It was eventually Andrew Moore who won the match and became the first CPW Triple Crown Juniorweight Champion. The Reboot and End of CPW CPW became temporarily inactive (kayfabe) when leader of the fizzled-out Juan Hefe Talent Agency, Juan Hefe, struck a financial deal with associates at "Violent Panda Venture Capital" in order to purchase dominant shares in CPW- thereby owning it. Hefe then shut it down in get the final victory in the ongoing war between the JHTA and CPW. However, there soon followed a subsequent reboot where one-time CPW wrestler and MWA legend John "The LIFTOR" Curry bought out Juan Hefe and relinquished the shares back into the control of Robert Riley, due to Curry being obscenely rich as a result of his years of wrestling fame and intelligent (although somewhat questionable) financial strategizing. Devlin was involved in one or two attempts to regain the Juniorweight title, but was met with limited success. He changed his focus to the CPW Tag Team Championships, and competed for them with Vertigo. The two eventually became the Champions by defeating "The Hot One" David Ryson and DJ Logan Sparks for the vacant titles at CPW's final show, the Summer Solstice pay-per-view (June 23, 2007). CPW closed down with Luke Devlin & Vertigo being recognised as the final CPW Tag Team Champions. Vegas Championship Wrestling (2007-2008) Devlin made surprise debut on the March 21st, 2007 edition of Longshot, entering 17th in a Number One Contender Juniorweight Battle Royal, where the winner would gain a VCW Juniorweight Championship title shot. Devlin made a big impact during the match; Devlin eliminated five other participants and injured Jose Reyes with the Dragon Tamer (Walls of Jericho/high angle Boston Crab) before eliminating him, too. Devlin then eliminated himself by hitting Reyes with a Shooting Star Press from the top turnbuckle to the outside, further injuring Reyes. Later on the night, he cost Chris Shawcross the VCW Las Vegas Championship by interfering in his match with "The King of Hearts" Gregory Gambit and hitting him with his finishing move. It was later revealed that Devlin attacked Shawcross due to Shawcross jeopardising the safety of his girlfriend and, surprisingly, Devlin's (kayfabe) sister, Jane. Jane soon mysteriously disappeared from VCW- backstage, the Jane/Shawcross/Devlin angle was met with some dislike from Devlin and Shawcross, and Jane returned to the UK to find work elsewhere. Devlin had a somewhat limited program within VCW for the next couple of months following his debut due to his commitment to CPW as it neared it's closure. However, Devlin would soon return to VCW full-time in August 2007, and re-united with former tag partner Vertigo to challenge for the VCW Tag Team Championships. The two engaged in a feud with Ryan Bowdridge & Water, culminating in a No DQ Tag Match match at Aftermath. Vertigo & Devlin continued to pursue the VCW Tag Team Championships, but strain on their relationship was becoming visible, causing several minor confrontations between them. The two eventually gained a title match against the champions, The O-Matics, at Fear & Loathing. The two were unsuccessful, but gained a rematch against the O-Matics at Jackpot! 2 on November 10, in a Tag Team Ladder Match. Vertigo & Devlin won the match in order to become the VCW Tag Team Champions. Tension began to rise between Vertigo and Devlin during their reign as Tag Team Champions, with Devlin frequently no-showing without notifying his partner, much to Vertigo's annoyance. At the VCW-branded Advent of Anarchy, Vertigo & Devlin defended the tag title belts against The O-Matics in a rematch and lost. The two then focused their attentions on singles competition. Devlin would receive a VCW Juniorweight Championship title shot against the reigning champion, Andy Montoya, little over two weeks later at the Sin City Showdown on December 31, 2007. Montoya defeated Devlin, but a bitter and twisted Devlin viciously attacked Montoya after the match. Devlin faced Montoya in a rematch at Wheel of Fate and was victorious, defeating Montoya to become VCW Juniorweight Champion. Later on in the main event Vertigo fought Dazza for the VCW Heavyweight Championship. Vertigo was shockingly attacked by his own tag team partner, Devlin, during the match, costing him the title. Devlin would continue to brutalise Vertigo, ultimately breaking his back and hospitalising him for several months.